Seedless grapevine named ‘ARDFORTY’

ABSTRACT

A new distinct variety of grapevine named ‘ARDFORTY’ abundantly forms attractive large seedless berries with a red skin coloration, lax and medium clusters which display a natural flavor, and the fruit commonly is ready for harvesting during September in San Joaquin Valley of Central California, U.S.A, and displays good eating qualities as a table grape, as the firmness renders the fruit well amenable for handling, shipping, and storage.

Classification: The present invention relates to a new Vitis viniferaGrapevine.

Variety denomination: The new Grapevine has a varietal denomination‘ARDFORTY’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A breeding program was initiated during the late 1990's near Bakersfieldin San Joaquin Valley of Central California. In 2012, during thisbreeding program, a new variety of Vitis vinifera was created bydeliberate cross breeding of two parent plants by emasculation of thepollen bearing organ of the female and introducing pollen from anothermale origin. The female parent of the new variety was 25-5+2, which is aseedless red table grape variety with a natural sweet flavor(non-patented in the United States). The male parent (I.e. the pollenparent) of the new variety was 10-10+2, a very fertile and crispyseedless white table grape variety (non-patented in the United States).

TABLE 1 ARDFORTY compared with parents & closely related variety: ‘RedGlobe’ 25-5 + 2 10-10 + 2 U.S. Plant Pat. ‘ARDFORTY’ (Maternal)(Paternal) No. 4,787 Seed trace Sterile Rudimentary Sterile Seeded Berryshape Cylindrical Globose Cylindrical Globose Berry color Red Red WhiteBrownish red

The parentage of the new variety can be summarized as follows:25-5+2 X 10-10+2

An artificial pollination was created, and the result was an embryowhich possessed unique genetic qualities. The rudiments resulting fromthe above pollination were embryo rescued.

In 2013 the plant was transplanted to Bakersfield in San Joaquin Valleyof Central California.

It was found that the new grapevine of the present invention possessesthe following combination of characteristics:

-   -   (a) Forms attractive large seedless berries with a red skin        coloration; in lax medium clusters which display a natural        flavor,    -   (b) Commonly bears fruit during the month of September in the        San Joaquin Valley of Central California, U.S.A., and    -   (c) Bears fruit that is firm and is well amenable for storage,        handling, and shipping.

The new variety during observation to date has displayed no visibledisease, and has displayed an ability to well resist cold, drought,heat; but sensitive to direct exposure to sun and wind. The fruit of thenew variety has been found to display excellent handling and shippingqualities combined with desirable dessert eating qualities.

The new variety of the present invention has been found to undergoasexual propagation beginning in 2014 near Bakersfield in the SanJoaquin Valley of Central California, U.S.A. by bud grafting on mature‘Thompson Seedless’ rootstock (non-patented in the United States). Suchasexual propagation has been conducted thereafter in successive years todate and has shown that the characteristics of the new variety arestrictly transmissible from one generation to another. Accordingly, thenew variety undergoes asexual propagation in a true to type manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new variety ‘ARDFORTY’ is a red seedless table grape with a highproduction, e.g., about 90 bunches per vine, and an average of about 2bunches per shoot.

Asexual reproduction by micro propagation of the new variety asperformed near Bakersfield, Calif., U.S.A., shows that the forgoing andother distinguishing characteristics come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying photographic illustration shows typical six-year-oldspecimens of the new variety, vegetatively propagated, in color asnearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in a color illustrationof this character. Colors in the photograph may differ from the colorvalues cited in the detailed botanical description below, whichaccurately describes the colors of the new Grapevine.

The drawing shows leaves, stems and grapes of ‘ARDFORTY’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of colors is The R.H.S. ColourChart of The ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY (3^(rd) Edition). Thedescription is based on the observation of plants growing on ‘ThompsonSeedless’ rootstock outdoors near San Joaquin Valley of CentralCalifornia, U.S.A.

VINE CHARACTERISTICS: vigor Vigorous upright shoots productive capacityBearing at a natural, average capacity. Spur pruning. trunk Strong anddeveloped. Diameter is 2.1 inches, measured at 7.6 inches above ground.Rough with a fibrous, shaggy exterior. Light maple brown coloring(greyed orange 166D)

-   Date of bud burst in Bakersfield Calif.: March 1^(st).

YOUNG SHOOT CHARACTERISTICS: Openness of tip fully open Density ofprostrate hairs on tip medium Anthocyanin coloration of prostrate none(yellow green 144B) hairs on tip Density of erect hairs on tip sparse

YOUNG LEAF CHARACTERISTICS: Color of upper side of blade yellow green144A Color of lower side of blade yellow green 144C Density of erecthairs between main absent or very sparse veins on upper side of bladeDensity of erect hairs between main absent or very sparse veins on lowerside of blade Density of prostrate hairs on main absent or very sparseveins on upper side of blade Density of prostrate hairs on main absentor very sparse veins on lower side of blade

SHOOT CHARACTERISTICS: Attitude (before tying) semi-erect Color ofdorsal side of internodes yellow green 144A Color of ventral side ofinternodes yellow green 152B Color of dorsal side of nodes yellow green152C Color of ventral side of nodes yellow green 151A Density of erecthairs on internodes absent or very sparse Density of prostrate hairs onabsent or very sparse internodes Length of tendrils  6.4 inches Diameterof tendrils 0.08 inches Color of tendrils yellow green 151A Number oftendrils at bloom 7 Positioning of first flowering and the first bunchis in the 4th node fruiting node Inflorescence number per flowering 2shoot

FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS: Reproductive organs fully developed stamens andfully developed gynoecium Flower length  0.4 inches Flower diameter 0.04inches Pistil length 0.15 inches Pistil color green 141C Pollen amountpoor Pollen color yellow 11C Stamen color yellow green 145A Stamenlength  0.3 inches Number of stamen 6

-   First bloom in Bakersfield, Calif.: April 28^(th).-   Date of full bloom in Bakersfield, Calif.: May 6^(th).

MATURE LEAF CHARACTERISTICS: Size of blade 5.5 × 4.2 inches Shape ofblade pentagonal Base descriptors pentagonal Leaf margin doubly serrateLeaf apex acute Blistering of upper side of blade absent or very sparseDepth of upper lateral sinuses shallow Number of lobes five (Onlyvarieties with lobed leaves) slightly overlapped Arrangement of lobes ofupper lateral sinuses Arrangement of lobes of petiole wide open sinusLength of teeth  0.8 inches Ratio length/width of teeth medium Shape ofteeth both sides convex Density of prostrate hairs between absent orvery sparse main veins on lower side of blade Density of erect hairs onmain veins absent or very sparse on lower side of blade Density of erecthairs between the absent or very sparse main veins on upper side ofblade Density of prostrate hairs on main absent or very sparse veins onupper side of blade Length of petiole compared to length moderatelyshorter of middle vein Top side color yellow green 146A Bottom sidecolor yellow green 146D Texture of upper side of blade little roughTexture of lower side of blade rough Vein color on upper blade yellowgreen 145A Vein color on lower blade yellow green 145C Venation patternfor upper blade netlike venation Venation patten for lower blade netlikevenation Petiole length  2.5 inches Petiole diameter 0.11 inches Petiolecolor red purple 58A Petiole texture smooth

-   Date of beginning of berry ripening in Bakersfield Calif.: August    5^(th).

BUNCH CHARACTERISTICS: Size (peduncle excluded) medium Density ofberries on bunch lax Bunch length  9 5 inches Bunch diameter  6.5 inchesLength of peduncle of primary bunch  2.1 inches Diameter of peduncle ofprimary 0.18 inches bunch Peduncle of primary bunch color yellow green145B Peduncle texture smooth Bunches per vine up to 90 Average bunchweight 1.7 lbs

BERRY CHARACTERISTICS: Size large Length 1.3 inches Weight 0.28 ozDiameter 0.8 inches Shape Cylindrical Color of skin (without bloom) red53A Flesh color yellow green 145C Brix 19.5 Titrabable aciditypercentage 0.49% Juice 3.8 pH Ease of detachment from pedicel difficultThickness of skin medium Anthocyanin coloration of flesh none (yellowgreen 145C) Firmness of flesh moderately firm Particular flavor noneFormation of seeds none Berries per bunch 133

PEDICEL CHARACTERISTICS: Length 0.4 inches Diameter 0.1 inches Colorgreen 143C Pedicel texture rough

WOODY SHOOT CHARACTERISTICS: Woody shoot texture rough Woody shoot colorgreyed orange 175A Woody shoot length 168 inches Diameter 0.5 inchesInternode length 4.1 inches

-   Market use of observed plants: Fresh market.-   Age and growing conditions: Six years growing under Y system in    South Joaquin Valley during hot, dry summers.-   Shipping characteristics: Fruit was in cold storage. Stored in poly    bags inside Styrofoam boxes with sulfur pads. After 30 Days:    rachises were 60% green; 1% berry shattering; no berry wrinkling or    cracks were apparent.-   DNA profile: To further the characterize the new variety DNA was    extracted from plant samples and a DNA profile was obtained at    California Seed & Plant Lab, California USA using base pairs for 10    standard microsatellite DNA markers. The data is presented    hereafter.

TABLE 2 DNA profile for ‘ARDFORTY’ Microsatellite DNA Allele MarkerSizes in Base Pairs M 1 228 238 M 2 249 253 M 3 179 194 M 4 212 216 M 5251 273 M 6 151 151 M 7 187 189 M 8 255 259 M 9 214 214 M 10 237 247

The ‘ARDFORTY’ variety has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that thephenotypic expression may vary somewhat with changes in light intensityand duration, cultural practices, and other environmental conditions.

Additional information relating to plant and fruit disease and pestresistance or susceptibility has not been observed to date.Specification of the plant hardiness zone and the heat/cold resistancehas not been observed to date.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct grapevine, botanically knownas Vitis vinifera, identified as ‘ARDFORTY’ substantially as shown anddescribed herein.